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Grok-2 mini vs Phi-3.5-vision-instruct

Grok-2 mini leads the LLM Stats Score 8.6 to -3.4.

xAI · Microsoft · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

Grok-2 mini leads the overall LLM Stats Score 8.6 to -3.4, ranking #277 overall.

In the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Grok-2 mini wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.

Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose Grok-2 mini

  • overall performance matters — it scores 8.6 and ranks #277 on LLM Stats
  • your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
  • you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 2 exact shared results

Choose Phi-3.5-vision-instruct

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2024
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

Grok-2 mini
xAI
Phi-3.5-vision-instruct
Microsoft
Core performance indexes
LLM Stats Score
8.6
#277
-3.4
#344
Reasoning
8.2
#274
-4.8
#344
Cost, coverage & limits
Benchmark wins
2 of 2
0 of 2
Input price
— / M
— / M
Output price
— / M
— / M
Context window
—
—

Capability indexes

Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks

2 shared
Index
Grok-2 mini
Phi-3.5-vision-instruct
Vision
5.8#149
-3.6#194
Multimodal
9.0#121
-1.1#156
Conservative TrueSkill rating · higher is betterHow scores work

Individual benchmarks

8 reported for Grok-2 mini · 9 for Phi-3.5-vision-instruct

2 shared

Grok-2 mini outperforms in 2 benchmarks (MathVista, MMMU), while Phi-3.5-vision-instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.

Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Sep 19 2026 • llm-stats.com

Human preference

Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores

Input capabilities

Documented input modalities across available providers

Both Grok-2 mini and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Grok-2 mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Phi-3.5-vision-instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Grok-2 mini is licensed under a proprietary license, while Phi-3.5-vision-instruct uses MIT.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Grok-2 mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Phi-3.5-vision-instruct

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-2 mini was released on 2024-08-13, while Phi-3.5-vision-instruct was released on 2024-08-23.

Phi-3.5-vision-instruct is 0 month newer than Grok-2 mini.

Grok-2 mini

Aug 13, 2024

2.1 years ago

Phi-3.5-vision-instruct

Aug 23, 2024

2.1 years ago

1w newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-2 mini and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-2 mini
✓ Preferred
Phi-3.5-vision-instruct
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-2 mini vs Phi-3.5-vision-instruct.

Which is better, Grok-2 mini or Phi-3.5-vision-instruct?

Grok-2 mini leads the LLM Stats Score 8.6 to -3.4. Grok-2 mini is made by xAI and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct is made by Microsoft. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their capability indexes, individual benchmarks, pricing, and limits above.

How does Grok-2 mini compare to Phi-3.5-vision-instruct in benchmarks?

Grok-2 mini scores DocVQA: 93.2%, MMLU: 86.2%, HumanEval: 85.7%, MATH: 73.0%, MMLU-Pro: 72.0%. Phi-3.5-vision-instruct scores ScienceQA: 91.3%, POPE: 86.1%, MMBench: 81.9%, ChartQA: 81.8%, AI2D: 78.1%.

What are the main differences between Grok-2 mini and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct?

Key differences include LLM Stats Score (8.6 vs -3.4), licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-2 mini and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct?

Grok-2 mini is developed by xAI and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct is developed by Microsoft.

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